The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection by Darwin - Book Report/Review Example

How might the principles at work on animals also work on people? Do you think that Darwin assumes this? Introduction Natural selection generally refers to the gradual non-random process through which biological traits become dominant in a population as a result of differential reproduction of their bearers. It is a main mechanism of evolution. All organisms have variations because random mutations occur in the genome of organisms and are then passed to the offspring. Individuals’ genome interacts with the environment to cause traits variations. Species with certain strong variations may survive and reproduce more than species lacking the variant traits, this is how the population evolves. Natural selection provides answers to questions regarding animal behavior. The general notions of reproduction and survival provide answers as to why animals do the things they do and modify their behavior to adapt to their new environment. The Darwinian conclusion that people are also product of biological evolution is scientifically proven i.e. human behavior is also explained by natural selection. Human beings are undeniably different from other species in terms of flexibility and variability of behavior, planning, consciousness and awareness, emotions and moral sense. In his book, “The Origin of Species (1859), Charles Darwin introduced the theory of natural selection and its effect on animal behavior and traits. However, there was no explicit mention of human evolution or behavior. However, it was clear from the book that Darwin believed that humans evolved to their present state, from non-human ancestors. Darwin argued that human evolution was similar to that of other animals in some respects while it is unique in other respects. He explained that the differences arose naturally from the evolution process. For example, natural selection applies to human beings just as it does when it comes to sexual reproduction. Just like their non-human ancestors, human s are subject to sexual selection of makes by females and vice versa. Darwin used sexual selection to explain the racial differences in people (Darwin, 25). Because he failed to see any obvious survival advantages for racial differences in physical features such as physique, skin color, eyes and body shape, he concluded that these variations resulted from differences in perceived sexual attractiveness among different among different races and the resultant selection of mates. Unique characteristics of people such as flexibility and variation in behavior, moral uprightness, ethical and religious beliefs were challenging to explain through natural selection. This raised questions over the validity of claims that humans are also subjected to the natural selection process. Understanding the evolutionary origins of the above unique traits was difficult. It was challenging to imagine that survival and reproduction success could have resulted into kinder and gentler traits that differentiate people from animals (Darwin, 37). For example men had greater intelligence and refined moral sense that exceeded that which was required for basic survival in the wild and therefore natural selection couldn’t have provided them. Darwin responded to these challenges by arguing that as the reasoning capability of man’s ancestors increased, they realized that helping others would increase the chances of obtaining help, this made men to be more sensitive towards fellow humans. In addition natural selection occurring at the group level could lead to evolution of behavioral traits that gave a selective advantage to a community by developing high standards of morality. Furthermore, Darwin recognized the power of social praise and blame in shaping behavior. Therefore, although unique characteristics are difficult to explain sung natural selection process, Darwin successfully explained how they were acquired through the natural selection process (Darwin, 43). Natural selection applies to humans just as it applies to animals despite the fact that Darwin did not mention this in his theory. This is because men evolved from non-human ancestors who were subject to the natural selection process. The general principles of natural selection apply to humans since it applied to their ancestors who were non-human. For example natural variation occurs to people just as it does to animals. In addition many variation differences in people such as skin color, body shape and eyes don’t affect their survival. However, variations that increase survival will increase the reproductive rate in humans. For example, Africans are more resistant to tropical diseases because they have interacted with the environment for long. Therefore, their chances of survival in the tropical climate are more and therefore they can reproduce more in that environment (Darwin, 67). However, if you take an Africa to Antarctic, where the climate is cold and very different from the hot tropical climate, his chances of survival are minimal because he hasn’t interacted with the climate long enough to develop adaptive features. Ultimately, what matters is the total lifetime reproductive lifetime of a species. If people develop survival traits that can be inherited, they pass these to upcoming generations, which become more resistant to environmental pressures and increase their chances for survival and reproduction rates. Natural selection has slightly different meanings in different contexts. It is mostly defined to operate on heritable traits since these traits participate directly in evolution. However, when it comes to humans, natural selection is “blind” in that alterations in phenotype (physical and behavioral traits) since it gives humans a reproductive advantage regardless of whether the traits are heritable or not. Therefore, natural selection influences the factors that increase human survival by modifying their phenotype to fit their environment. In addition, humans, evolved from non-human ancestors who were subjected to the process of natural selection from the beginning up to the point they evolved to be human (Darwin, 148). Modern evolution theories expound how man evolved from natural selection and how the process still applies to everyday life to make human life better, according to their ability to interact and adopt adaptive survival features. Therefore, it can be assumed that although Darwin did not mention human beings in the natural selection theory, the process applies to man since it applied to his ancestors. The concept of fitness that is a key factor in natural selection also applied to human beings. Individuals that are more fit increase their chances of survival while weak species die and become extinct. The definition of the term is also subtle and it has different meanings in different contexts. While applying it to human beings, fitness refers to the ability to adapt survival features and the success in human reproduction. It has nothing to do with how long an individual lives but his/her success in reproduction and ability to survive the environment by acquiring adaptive features that are heritable to forthcoming generations (Darwin, 57). Although natural selection acts on humans, the effect of probability/chance implies that fitness is only defined on average, for individuals within a population. Therefore, the fitness of a particular genotype corresponds to the average effect of individuals within that genotype. Low fitness genotypes result in few or no offspring. For example human genetic disorders like cystic fibrosis affect the reproduction system. Females with this disorder face reproductive problems and risks. For example, they are unable to get pregnant or develop ectopic pregnancy if they do pregnant. They are prone to miscarriages and other pregnancy complications that put the fetus at risk. Therefore, their chances of carrying a pregnancy to full time and give birth to healthy babies are minimal (Darwin, 60). Evolution, which is the key concept to human development, resulted from natural selection. Therefore, natural selection applies to humans because evolution that explains how they came to be is a product of the natural selection process. Therefore, it is difficult to distance natural selection process from human evolution and it is thus natural to assume that despite lack of mention of man in the natural selection theory, it is assumes that the process also applies to man. Evolution theory argues that species evolved through preservation of every slight variation of traits (Darwin, 87). Variations resulted from interaction with the environment through the natural selection process. Therefore natural selection applies to humans evolution is a product of the natural selection process. Conclusion Natural selection generally refers to the gradual non-random process through which biological traits become dominant in a population as a result of differential reproduction of their bearers. It is a main mechanism of evolution. In his theory of natural selection, Charles Darwin failed to mention human beings as subject of natural selection process. However, since man evolved from non-human ancestors who were subject to the natural selection process, it is assumed that natural selection also applies to man. The evolution theory that explains hoe man evolved resulted from the natural selection process. Therefore, it is assumed that man is also subject of natural concept. Work Cited Darwin, Charles. The origin of species by means of natural selection: or, the preservation of favored races in the struggle for life. Ed. William F. Bynum. AL Burt, 2009.Print . Read More